Vegetable Fried Brown Rice

I grew up in a household with parents who ate very healthfully. My mom always cooked nutritious, well-rounded meals, and to this day both, parents almost always shy away from foods that are bad for the waistline and body. Not to throw my dad under the bus, but recently I found out that he doesn’t eat refried beans because they’re fried. I tried explaining to him that refried beans aren’t actually fried in the sense that he is thinking, and often times they can be purchased vegetarian and without a lot of or any fat at all. While the name is definitely misleading, I thought my explanation cleared things up; but it had been too deeply engrained in his head and there was no changing his mind.

Similar to refried beans, fried rice gets a bad rap. When dining out it can be made with tons of oil and sodium, so I don’t completely disagree here. However, fried rice doesn’t have to have get a bad name. With a few tweaks, and making it yourself versus ordering it at a restaurant, you can almost guarantee a healthier version of a “fried” dish. I’ve made a few lighter fried rice recipes in the past, but they lacked flavor and didn’t warrant repeating. However, when I came across this particular recipe for Vegetable Fried Brown Rice, there were a few extra ingredients that I thought would help take this from tasteless to tasty. If you’re in a time crunch, you could use all frozen vegetables; just don’t forget the fresh garlic and ginger! I also loved that this sauce had teriyaki sauce and sesame oil, in addition to the soy sauce.

I consider my husband to be my biggest food critic because he’ll say it like it is, and he complimented this dish to be restaurant-quality! Put any preconceived notions aside and give this dish a try…I’m looking at you dad 🙂

4 scallions (white and some green), chopped (reserve a little for garnish)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup frozen peas, thawed

Sauce:

1 ½ tablespoons teriyaki sauce

2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

¾ teaspoon sesame oil

What To Do

Bring brown rice and water or chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, and then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until rice is cooked through. Refer to package directions for exact cooking time. Once cooked, remove from heat.

Mix teriyaki, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over a high heat. Add onion and carrot, cook about two minutes. Add scallions (reserve some for garnish), garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook another two minutes. Add in the rest of the olive oil and the brown rice. Stir-fry about two minutes. Add sauce and stir-fry until incorporated, about two minutes.

In separate pan, scramble eggs until almost cooked but still slightly runny.

Make a well in the center of the brown rice, pour eggs in and finish scrambling. Note: you can skip the step of scrambling the eggs in a separate pan and do the entire scramble in the well in the center of the rice.

Add in peas, then toss everything together until the peas are warmed through. Distribute into bowls and add remaining scallion as garnish, and serve with additional soy sauce if desired.